June Newsletter: Enterprise Leaders

This month, we are continuing our exploration of leadership at different levels and focusing on the critical role of enterprise leaders in driving business impact. Hopefully, you caught our latest article on the subject. But if you didn't, check it out here.

Let’s set the scene and be honest.?

Today's enterprise leaders have a lot on their plate - they're not only guiding other leaders but also driving transformative changes. They navigate ongoing challenges while anticipating future ones, maintaining a constant balance between innovation, practicality, and self-discovery. This requires them to wear multiple hats, blending strategic thinking with developing and empowering teams across the organisation.?

Yep, it’s a tough gig.

With 71% of enterprise leaders admitting to feeling like imposters and overwhelmed by their responsibilities and only 14% excelling in this ongoing journey of development, mastering the skills of performing now and transforming next is challenging.

Four key areas for effective enterprise leadership

By developing the ability to effectively balance responsibilities, enterprise leaders can not only navigate this perpetual cycle, but also drive innovation and growth. To master this, the enterprise leader needs to focus on four key areas to facilitate more meaningful engagement, collaboration and accountability.

Firstly, establishing direction involves creating a forward-looking vision that guides the organisation through uncertainties and rapid changes.

Secondly, setting the tone is vital, fostering a culture of humility and trust that empowers everyone to actively contribute and drive meaningful change.

Thirdly, investing in career development is pivotal for nurturing future leaders keeping high-performing individuals engaged and motivated to lead the organisation forward.?

Lastly, leading transformation means making big changes to stay competitive, all while juggling innovation and maintaining current performance levels.

That said, enterprise leaders can’t control every event, but they do have control over their responses to these situations. As the saying goes, "We can't control the wind, but we can adjust the sails." By focusing on these four areas, enterprise leaders can create lasting business impact and thrive.

Books We Love. ??????

The Practice of Adaptive Leadership by Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow and Marty Linsky

Recommended by Max Edwards in Melbourne, Australia

Max says: “This book introduces the concept of adaptive leadership as a framework for tackling issues that don’t have clear solutions or precedents. It gives tools and tactics that enable leaders to navigate ambiguity, foster innovation, and mobilise people for collective action in the face of uncertainty and change. It encourages leaders to adapt and evolve their strategies based on the specific context and challenges in their work, including disrupting habitual routines”.? Explore the book?here.

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Learning Science We Love. ??????

Ask any leader whether their?organization values collaboration, and you’ll get a resounding yes. Ask whether the firm’s strategies to increase collaboration have been successful, and you’ll probably receive a different answer. In this interesting article, HBR propose taking a psychological approach to crack the code of successful collaboration .

LIW has extensive experience supporting enterprise leaders across the globe, with award-winning programs. To discuss how our approach could support your organisation,? book a time with Kylie from our team.??